It Feels Different When You're With Me: One Year of "Heartbreak Weather"

I cannot believe that Niall Horan released Heartbreak Weather one year ago. (Well it was actually a year ago tomorrow, but we're here now.) Whether you are a Niall fan from his first album, or back from the One Direction days, I think we can all agree that watching him grow and flourish the last few years has been such a lovely thing. And this album was no exception. Flicker was so incredible that expectations were high for NH2, and our boy Niall did not disappoint. His second album was everything we needed, everything we wanted, and then some.

I got the opportunity to see Niall in concert in the Flicker days, and at one point he told us that his goal for his second album was to get his sound figured out and really cohesive. He absolutely nailed it in Heartbreak Weather.

I thought about writing a review of this album in looking back on having this album in my life for a year and how my feelings may or may not have changed about it. I posted a review about this album on my personal blog about two or three days after it was released, and as I read over it realized that I still feel exactly the same. So, with a few minor tweaks, here are the facts about Niall's album:

The music and artists I love and support are big parts of my life, and I always love to delve deep into their albums. Interestingly enough, they always match up with my life. I am so excited about Heartbreak Weather. I have SO MUCH to say about this album and I am genuinely so excited to write this post. So the only way to do this as accurately as I need to is to go song by song. This means that this is going to be a really long post. Just so you know.

#1 Heartbreak Weather

The title track. You guys. This. Song. Is. FIRE. It's on fire. I love the '80's synth pop vibes it has going on, and it's such a cruise song. Does that make any sense? The sound of the song is so much fun. And the lyrics! Some of my favorites include, "All of my life I've been sleepwalk living." This lyric is so powerful and resonates so powerfully. I think that "sleepwalk living" is something many of us do. I know that I have actually been feeling very much like this lately. It isn't the ideal way to live. Which is why the chorus goes on to say, "It can be so lonely in this city, but it feels different when you're with me."

So that last line, "It feels different when you're with me," is one of my favorite lines on the entire album. Because I think that absolutely perfectly encapsulates what it is like to be with that person. Whoever "that person" is for you. It just feels different. But not bad different. It makes you feel different than anything and brings you away from the things that normally swirl around you. It makes you feel alive. And real. Which is why you are no longer "sleepwalk living". Because it feels different when you're with me.

I think that this line also has another meaning. Some time ago I finished writing a short story that was so much fun to write. But at one point, the main characters are talking about the things that are hard for them. The pain they have each experienced. And the man says, "I never hurt when I'm with you."

And I think this line is also alluding to this idea. Being with somebody or being in love does not fix your problems. Sometimes it might even create more. But what it does do is create a safe space. A place where things don't have to hurt as much, or where you focus on only what really matters. Even if you're having a rough day with this person, being with them still feels better than anything else. It's still a safe space. It's a magical thing. And I'm so grateful Niall captured that.

It feels different when you're with me.

#2 Black and White

Oh, this song. What can I say about this song? It is so beautiful. And so sweet. And so completely joyful about love. It is such a celebration of jumping into love and not looking back, and realizing it was the best thing you ever did. It's so upbeat and happy that you can't help but dance to it and feel great, but it also has this feeling running underneath it that really pulls at my heart. That feeling of true love and celebrating it despite all it's been through.

My favorite line is near the end of the song. It says, "And I want the world to witness when we finally say 'I do', it's the way you love, I gotta give it back to you."

This line is enough to make the coldest of hearts melt. The driest of eyes tear up. Of course, it is incredibly sweet. But it also speaks volumes about love. About loving somebody deeply and wildly and passionately. With everything you have. And some days that means soft love and some days that means fierce love. But it means accepting that love from somebody and making sure that commitment is forever.

#3 Dear Patience

Okay, so real talk: I felt enormously called out by this song. *insert laugh until I die face* But actually not in the way you are thinking. The first time I listened to it I was just thinking, "Oh, my goodness, Niall! How do you know my life?" I just felt incredibly understood.

For the last few years of my life, the theme of everything has seemed to be: Be Patient. No matter what has happened, no matter what I've been through, time and time again God has simply said: Be patient. Recently this has actually changed, though, which is crazy because it was starting to feel like it never would. But recently my answer is no longer: Be patient. It has switched over to: You know what you're supposed to do. Which isn't vastly different but still. Anyway, I relate to this song a lot.

The lyrics are really beautiful. And speak a lot about periods in our life when we find ourselves waiting for things. It talks about small mistakes we might make, but having the patience to keep going. It's a lovely song.

#4 Bend the Rules

This song. Hhmm. How to explain this song. When I listened to this song for the first time, it felt like there was a bed of coals living in the bottom of my stomach. And somebody blew on them and they started flaming again. That's as close as I can come to describing it.

As sad as it is to say, I relate to this song a lot. I think many of us can relate to this song, and not even necessarily for the incredibly specific scenario it talks about. I just think that the idea behind it is relatable in a lot of ways. The idea that somebody close to you, not even a significant other like the song talks about, feels far away and is probably keeping things from you. No matter how big or small they may be. When they technically aren't breaking any rules, but they are finding ways around that.

It's a painful moment for anybody who can relate. But songs like this are important and necessary for many reasons. And this one is very beautifully done. I highly recommend it.

#5 Small Talk

This song is on fire. It's stunning. It's magnificent. It is "Slow Hands" 3.0. It's the bop we all needed and wanted and had no idea how much it would bless us when we got it. Jam. Cruise. Enjoy. This song is where it is at.

#6 Nice to Meet Ya

So this song has been out for a while, and I have always really enjoyed it. But listening to it in the larger context of the album as a whole has changed it for me. I am enjoying it even more. It fits really well into the album as a whole, which isn't something that you find very often in singles. It's just a really fun song.

#7 Put a Little Love on Me

This song has also been out for a little while. I knew vaguely what it was about, and for that reason, I knew that it would probably hit my heart pretty hard. When I finally did listen to it, it did tug at my heart quite violently. But it wasn't the kind of pain I expected. Again, I just felt overwhelmingly understood. It did hurt, but for the first time I felt like my feelings and the things I want from the future are all okay. It's a beautiful song. Full of longing and truth and hope and feelings that are hard to explain. But somehow Niall did it. Though, that's not a surprise at all, to be honest.

#8 Arms of a Stranger

There are some really powerful lyrics at the beginning of this song. The outright message of this song is not one I can super relate to. I think that's honestly the only one on the album for me personally. But there are some aspects of the song that I can feel a little. I have definitely felt as though I have been left with nothing a time or two, but I have never sought comfort or healing in the arms of a stranger. Or even somebody who is not so much of a stranger. It just isn't how I operate. It never will be.

When it comes to love like that, I do not give it away easily. And when I do, it's all there. Completely and totally. And so the last thing that would help me in a situation like that would be running into the arms of somebody else. Not only would it never help me personally, but it would just never be my instinct. That being said, I understand why it would be a thing for many people. I really enjoy this song, and I empathize deeply with the pain it is talking about. It's beautiful.

#9 Everywhere

So there are a few songs on this album that I feel like I honestly could have written. That's how much I relate to them. I relate to this album so hard just in general, but there are a few that scare me with how much they could be about my life. This is one of them. I would point out specific lyrics but then I'd just be recording the entire song. One thing I love about this song is that the lyrics could potentially make this song very solemn, but it is actually a really happy-sounding song. And it's fun to listen to.

#10 Cross Your Mind

This song is honestly "Bend the Rules" from a different perspective. I think it's relatable for many people. But also, it's a really killer song. It's really fun to listen to, sing along with, and dance to. I really love this song.

#11 New Angel

If I had to pick a song I'm not vibing with, it would be this song. Which is actually a really bold strategy to say because I still really, really like it. Again, I think it's a different perspective on the idea of "Arms of a Stranger". But all of that being said, this song is so much fun. The beat and melody are incredible and I highly recommend rocking out to this song.

#12 No Judgement

Again, this song has been out for a while. And I absolutely love it. Simply put: I think that this song embodies everything that you should have in a relationship. At the end of the day, love should be a safe place you go to with your best friend.

#13 San Francisco

Oh, glory. What to say about this song. Um. Okay. In this essay, I will...

Okay, so I'm totally kidding. But if I had to choose a song that I'm really feeling or liking or whatever, it's this one. I don't agree with every single lyric, but I absolutely love love love the entire message. This song is the kind of song that reaches you on those days. You know what days I'm talking about. Something about the combination of music and lyrics is just perfect. I absolutely love this song. It's beautifully lyrically and musically and in every other way. Stream it. Feel it. Sing it. Love it. It's so, so beautiful.

#14 Still

So. This song is "Flicker" number two. Just kind of a continuation of that song. And as such it is beautiful. Truly and honestly, there aren't words to describe how breathtaking this song is. It's like somebody took a strand of Niall's soul and breathed it into music. And of course, it was him. And I can't imagine how that process must have been for him. But this song is a gift. Truly. I can feel this song ringing through my own soul, expressing so many things I've felt many times. And I am so grateful for that. This song is everything I needed and everything I've felt before. And honestly a work of pure art.

*#15 Dress*

So. Bonus track. You had better believe that when this album got released one year ago my sister and I ventured into Target all masked up to ward off the evil of the plague so that we could buy the actual physical album so that we could hear the bonus tracks. And we regret nothing.

This song was not what I expected, to be honest. It's definitely the T Swift fan in me, but I expect this to be a sexy song. Kind of along the lines of "Small Talk". But it is actually a really sweet and heartbreaking song about moving on from lost love. I love the music because it adds so much to the lyrics. This song is hopeful in a different way and it's lovely.

*#16 Nothing*

Last bonus track. How do I say this accurately? I just love this song. I love this song so much. It is a little bit different from the rest of the album, but only in how powerful the music is and how hard you actually rock out to it. It's stunning. If you have not heard either bonus track you really need to get on that. Treat yourself.

I hope this not-so-short review gave you an idea of the album as a whole. If you haven't listened to it yet, that's probably why your 2020 was hard. It's been a year now, and this album is better than ever. You won't regret incorporating it into your life. It's absolutely magnificent. If you have been following Niall's career you will notice that this album is different in many ways from his first. It finds his real sound and really breaks him open in many revolutionary ways. But at the same time as it changes everything, it changes nothing. Because some feelings and experiences and ways of being never, ever change.

Happy Birthday to Heartbreak Weather. Give it a listen.